Mini Program Revolution: Telegram Mini Program’s Web3 Transformation Journey

Source: TopologyLab Topology Laboratory

Introduction

Recently, the Telegram ecosystem has developed rapidly and has become a hot topic in the Web3 field. Telegram, a communications giant with 900 million users, has quietly launched mini-programs and robot development functions. Currently, Telegram mini-programs can completely replace most websites, supporting seamless authorization, integrated payment through 20 payment providers (including Google Pay and Apple Pay), and more customized functions, such as automatic news delivery, news summary information services, and the recently popular Catizen mini-game. In addition, Telegram has also developed the Ton Chain to support convenient blockchain transactions. This "traffic + payment" route similar to WeChat has enabled Telegram to develop rapidly.

Chinese users are already very familiar with WeChat mini-programs. Today, mini-programs have penetrated into all aspects of life. For example, when ordering a cup of Luckin Coffee, the store often recommends placing an order through the mini-program to enjoy a better price. For example, the Maoyan and Taopiaopiao mini-programs on WeChat allow you to purchase movie tickets by simply pulling up the WeChat interface, which is extremely convenient. Recently, with the explosion of GPT, Kimi, a top domestic AI assistant, has also entered the WeChat mini-program. Users only need to pull down the WeChat page to ask Kimi questions anytime and anywhere, which facilitates work and study. The Internet era has experienced a development process from the initial web version to the flourishing of various apps, and now it has evolved to a situation where several major platforms such as WeChat, Alipay, Douyin, and Meituan monopolize the market. With the monopoly of Internet giants, individual shops have gradually gone online on various platforms, and each platform contains a large number of mini-programs, which are so dazzling that they are even annoying.

Against this background, this article will explore the development history and current status of Web2 and Web3 mini-programs. First, we will review the development history of WeChat Mini Programs, analyze the reasons for its success and the existing ecosystem. Next, we will introduce the rise of Telegram Mini Programs, explore its combination with Web3 technology and its application in the blockchain field. Finally, we will look forward to the future development trend of Mini Programs and explore how they will continue to change our lifestyle and lead the next era of the Internet.

Web2 Era: The Development History and Current Situation of Mini Programs

Origin of Mini Programs

The origin and development of Mini Programs is a process jointly promoted by many large companies, among which WeChat Mini Programs is the earliest and most typical representative. The origin of mini programs can be traced back to 2013, when Baidu proposed the concept of "light applications", defining a full-featured app that does not need to be downloaded and can be used immediately after searching, with a user experience comparable to that of native apps and the searchability and intelligent distribution features of web apps. However, light applications did not achieve the expected success. Subsequently, Google proposed the concept of PWA (Progressive Web App) in 2016, but it was not widely used in China. In the end, WeChat mini programs successfully led the development trend of mini programs with the huge user base and strong platform support of WeChat. Today, mini programs have become an indispensable part of the mobile Internet field, providing new possibilities for users and developers.

• WeChat Mini Program: The concept of WeChat Mini Program was first proposed by Zhang Xiaolong in 2016, aiming to provide a new service form, allowing users to enjoy "at your fingertips" services in the WeChat ecosystem. On January 9, 2017, WeChat Mini Program was officially launched. Users can use the application without downloading and installing, realizing the concept of "use it and leave". WeChat Mini Programs have developed rapidly and become an important tool for connecting online and offline services. In 2018, it launched the Mini Program Advertising Component, which enables developers to earn advertising revenue through Mini Programs.

• Alipay Mini Programs: On September 20, 2017, the Alipay Mini Programs were officially opened to ordinary users. In April 2018, the State Administration for Market Regulation launched the "Electronic Business License" Mini Program on Alipay, allowing business owners to receive and use business licenses at home. To date, Alipay has become the second largest mini program platform in China.

• Baidu Mini Program: On July 4, 2018, Baidu Smart Mini Program was officially launched. On January 10, 2019, Guangdong Public Security Department, Baidu and other Internet companies launched the "Guangdong 110" smart mini program alarm platform to accelerate the construction of smart new policing. On April 25, the national mini program "Switzerland" was launched. On November 25, Baidu announced that the monthly active users of the smart mini program exceeded 300 million.

• Douyin Mini Program: In July 2021, Douyin piloted its own "Heart-beating Takeaway" service. Although it was eventually removed from the shelves due to the difficulty of building a delivery system, this attempt opened up Douyin Mini Program's exploration in the field of local life services. As of March 2024, the traffic of Douyin platform Mini Program reached 232 million.

Reasons for the explosion of Mini Programs

• User convenience: Mini Programs provide users with an extremely convenient user experience with their features of "no installation required, within reach, use and go, no need to uninstall".

• Low development and maintenance costs: Compared with native applications, the development cost of mini programs is significantly lower because they do not need to be developed separately for different operating systems and are easier to maintain. For example, WeChat mini program developers can use familiar front-end technologies HTML, CSS, and JavaScript for development. At the same time, WeChat mini programs provide a wealth of APIs and components, which can easily call the functions provided by WeChat, such as obtaining user information, local storage, payment functions, etc., without having to develop from scratch. In addition, the platform uniformly handles sandbox isolation, platform control (authentication, review, version control), syntax limitation, capability encapsulation, package compilation and loading, etc., so that the stability and security of mini programs can be guaranteed.

• Huge potential user base: Platforms such as WeChat (as of March 31, 2024, WeChat and WeChat have 1.359 billion monthly active accounts), Alipay (as of June 2022, 1.045 billion), and Douyin (as of June 2023, Douyin has approximately 723 million monthly active users), have a huge user base, which provides a huge potential market and user base for mini programs. In March 2024, the traffic of WeChat, Alipay, Baidu, and Douyin platform mini programs reached 945 million, 648 million, 389 million, and 232 million, respectively, forming a strong "traffic pool" effect for medium and long-tail APPs and offline merchants.

• Traffic and marketing advantages: WeChat mini programs can be seamlessly integrated with other WeChat functions such as official accounts, WeChat payment, discovery bar, search bar, etc., and use WeChat's social network for rapid dissemination and marketing. Alipay mini programs enhance user sedimentation and brand trust through the combination of life accounts and mini programs, especially in low-frequency businesses. Douyin mini programs benefit from the traffic aggregation advantage of the Douyin platform, and its user immersion time is significantly higher than other platforms.

• Lightweight application scenario adaptability: The lightweight design of mini programs is particularly suitable for those tool-type application scenarios that are not used frequently but are indispensable. Mini programs occupy very little storage space on mobile phones. When running, they only load the resources and data currently needed. At the same time, their design tends to be simple and lightweight. Developers are encouraged to retain only necessary functions and avoid redundancy, making the size of mini programs much smaller than traditional APPs with rich functions. In addition, the update and maintenance of mini programs are usually managed by the host platform, and users do not need to update manually.

• Avoiding platform sharing: For developers, mini programs can avoid the high sharing and strict review mechanism of platforms such as Apple's App Store, increase revenue and save time costs.

To sum up, the reason why WeChat Mini Programs are favored by developers and users is mainly because of their advantages in convenience, cost, user base, marketing capabilities, adaptability to application scenarios, and avoiding platform sharing. These advantages make Mini Programs the preferred platform for many companies and individual developers, and also make users more inclined to use Mini Programs rather than download traditional apps.

The composition and ecology of the mini program industry chain

• Multi-platform competition: Currently, the mini program industry involves almost all Internet giants: WeChat, Alipay, Douyin, Baidu Intelligence, Meituan, Taobao, JD.com, Xiaohongshu, Kuaishou, etc. Developers cover almost all online scenarios: online shopping, life services, games, government affairs, content consulting, videos, tools, community group buying, offline retail, catering, tourism, education, pictures/photography/videos and social networking. Various service providers (SaaS, BaaS, development service providers, mini program stores, marketing service providers, MCN and agent operation) provide solutions, operations, advertising, live broadcast, data and underlying architecture for mini programs. Mini programs provide commercial/social services and user accumulation for platforms, while platforms provide mini program ecology and business scenarios. Governments, media, enterprises and venture capital provide investment, resource integration and partial publicity for mini programs, and mini program returns are direct investment returns and production.

• Users are completely accustomed to mini programs participating in production and life: In 2023, the scale of Chinese Internet application users in instant messaging, short video, online payment and search engine fields reached: 1.0381 billion, 1.0185 billion, 911.4 million and 801.7 million respectively. The average number of mini programs used per person per month on the entire network is 15.2.

• Development momentum: In terms of the number and transaction volume of mini programs, WeChat and Alipay are on par and ahead of other platforms such as Douyin, Kuaishou, and Baidu. WeChat firmly sits in the top spot, Alipay has become the second largest open ecosystem on the Internet for mini programs, and the top platforms are accelerating their entry. Douyin's mini programs have a strong growth momentum, with the number of mini programs increasing by 280% year-on-year, the number of developers increasing by 640% year-on-year, the DAU of mini programs increasing by 84% year-on-year, and the number of mini program matrix accounts increasing by 201% month-on-month on average (March to December 2023).

• Mini Program Industry Distribution: Life Service Mini Programs have been included in various rankings the most times, with the highest proportion and the largest number of visits (about 40%). The number of offline retail and games on the list has begun to increase significantly. Online shopping mini programs are affected by the economic environment and fluctuate greatly, but the number of shares accounts for the highest proportion (up to 49%). At the same time, vertical e-commerce accounts for the largest proportion of online shopping mini programs (70.2%). Life service mini programs are widely used, with a wide variety of types and a large space for innovation. Tool mini programs have the most stable development. It is worth noting that mini program short dramas have risen to become the most profitable track in the second half of 2023.

• AI helps mini program services move towards high-end and sophisticated: The application of AI technology in mini program services is driving services to develop in a more efficient, intelligent and personalized direction. The following are several common scenarios: personalized recommendations, intelligent customer service, voice interaction, automated marketing, content generation, intelligent search, etc.

• The content production and marketing of mini programs are regularized: the publicity outlets rely on the social relationships of KOLs to endorse products and MCN companies to join forces to expand publicity. The drainage method focuses on driving unstructured groups and focusing on guiding the general public to participate in brand building. It is also worth mentioning that the trend of brand co-branding has emerged, and mini programs have helped the new marketing of content on all platforms. The most successful case is the popularity of Maotai Latte (Moutai × Luckin Coffee).

• The vertical field of life and entertainment has great potential: maternal and child care, travel, science popularization, pets, film and television entertainment, automobiles, health and other vertical fields have a high average replacement rate, while the number of users and average time per person are growing strongly.

Web3 era: the rise and characteristics of Telegram Mini Apps

Telegram recently introduced a new feature that allows "Mini Apps" to run in its application, which is similar to WeChat applets, enabling it to provide users with a flexible interface similar to Internet websites, so as to perform various operations directly in Telegram, such as playing small games, electronic payments, etc. This feature is similar to the robots (Bot) that have been running in Telegram for some time, but provides a further user experience.

Specifically, Telegram Mini Apps have the following features:

• Seamless integration: Telegram Mini Apps can be integrated directly into Telegram, one of the most popular messaging platforms with millions of active users. A user may be discussing an upcoming party in a Telegram chat. With Mini Apps, they can open an app directly in the chat to book a venue, choose catering services, and even buy tickets, all without leaving the Telegram app.

• Enhanced user experience: Users can use interactive and complex web applications without downloading or installing applications separately. Suppose there is a Mini App that is an online store, users can browse products, view recommendations, and make purchases directly in Telegram without downloading additional shopping apps. This experience is similar to visiting a full-featured e-commerce website in a browser, but fully integrated in Telegram.

• Versatility: Mini Apps can be used in a variety of scenarios such as e-commerce, customer support, games and quizzes. Because Mini Apps can be any type of application, such as an online education platform where users can access courses, take quizzes and exams directly in Telegram, or a fitness app that provides exercise guidance and health tracking.

• Quick Development: Developers can quickly develop Mini Apps using familiar web technologies such as HTML, CSS and JavaScript. A developer may develop a simple application in a few days.

• Cross-platform compatibility: Mini Apps can be used in all official Telegram applications. Whether users are on their phones, tablets, computers or through the web version of Telegram, they can access and use Mini Apps. This means that developers do not need to develop multiple versions of their applications for different platforms.

• Improve user interaction: Mini Apps provide a simplified way for users to communicate with projects. A Mini App can be an interactive survey or voting tool where users can directly participate in surveys, collect feedback or make decisions in Telegram groups. This kind of application can promote communication and collaboration within the group and increase participation.

In addition, Telegram's Mini Apps also cooperated with TON to enhance the functions of Mini Apps through TON Chain. TON's Mini Apps provide a convenient entry point for Web2 users to easily step into the Web3 world. In fact, the TON public chain was originally promoted by Telegram, but it was cancelled in 2019 due to the intervention of the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Despite this, the community and other developer teams continued to promote the project, forming the current TON public chain. Although TON has no direct relationship with Telegram, Telegram founder Pavel Durov and the team have repeatedly supported the project, emphasizing the business relevance of the two.

Specifically, the cooperation between TON (The Open Network) and Telegram's Mini Apps can bring many benefits to the latter:

• The TON payment system allows users to make instant and fast payments within Telegram, greatly improving the payment experience and convenience.

• Through integration with TON, Telegram's Mini Apps can also support legal currency payments, further expanding the coverage and convenience of payments.

• TON's sharding technology improves the scalability and performance of the blockchain, enabling Mini Apps to handle larger-scale transactions and user requests and support more complex application scenarios.

• TON's token economic model can provide economic incentives for Mini Apps, encourage users to participate in and use applications, and provide incentive mechanisms for developers to promote the continuous development and innovation of applications.

Comparison between WeChat Mini Programs and Telegram Mini Apps

WeChat Mini Programs is a lightweight application platform launched by Tencent in 2017, allowing users to use various applications in WeChat without downloading and installing. Initially, Mini Programs mainly provided basic tools and service functions, and gradually expanded to e-commerce, games, social networking, education and other fields. With the continuous improvement of functions and the diversification of user needs, WeChat Mini Programs introduced a wealth of development tools and interfaces, and integrated powerful functions such as WeChat payment, quickly becoming an important part of China's mobile Internet ecosystem. Its openness and convenience have attracted a large number of developers and enterprises, promoting the rapid development and popularization of Mini Programs. Although both WeChat Mini Programs and Telegram Mini Apps are small applications embedded in social platforms, they differ significantly in several aspects: 1. User experience and access method WeChat Mini Programs User experience: Users can access Mini Programs by scanning QR codes, sharing links, or searching within WeChat. The interface is usually consistent with the overall style of WeChat, and the user experience is smooth. Access method: Developers use the development tools and APIs provided by WeChat to build Mini Programs, mainly using technologies such as JavaScript, WXML, and WXSS. WeChat must review them before publishing.

Telegram Mini Apps

• User experience: Users can access Mini Apps through chatbots, groups, channels or embedded buttons. The interface design is more free and can be separated from the default style of Telegram, bringing a diverse experience.

• Access method: Developers use the Bot API and Mini Apps API provided by Telegram to develop applications, mainly using standard Web technologies such as HTML, CSS and JavaScript. The publishing process is relatively simple and there is no strict review mechanism.

2. Application scenarios and business models

WeChat Mini Programs

• Application scenarios: covering a wide range of fields such as e-commerce, games, social networking, tools, education, etc., especially suitable for lightweight and high-frequency applications.

• Business model: mainly profit through service charges, advertising, e-commerce and value-added services. WeChat provides a variety of monetization methods, such as WeChat payment, advertising platform, etc.

Telegram Mini Apps

• Application scenarios: mostly used for information services, entertainment, financial tools and social interaction. Due to Telegram's advantages in privacy protection and security, financial tools and privacy social networking will be its strengths.

• Business model: The business model of Telegram Mini Apps is still under exploration, and it may be monetized through subscription services, value-added functions and third-party payment interfaces.

3. Governance and community participation

WeChat Mini Programs

• Governance: Led by Tencent, the review mechanism is strict to ensure content compliance and security.

• Community participation: The developer community is relatively closed and relies more on Tencent's support and official documents.

Telegram Mini Apps

• Governance: Relatively open, Telegram provides basic usage specifications, but has a high degree of freedom in development and release.

• Community participation: The developer community is open, Telegram officials interact frequently with developers, and the community contributes greatly.

Telegram: Build a bridge between web2 and web3

Telegram mini programs are currently very popular, and more importantly, they have currently played the role of a bridge between web2 and web3. Its huge user base provides a large base for this. Its freedom and lack of censorship make its user profile more consistent with the group that accepts web3. As the most web3-based web2 software, a large proportion of its huge user base are web3 enthusiasts or potential web3 users. As analyzed above, the low development cost, use and dissemination threshold of mini programs make the TG ecosystem very easy to spread. And the native support of Ton further lowers the threshold for on-chain interaction. In this section, we will introduce some popular applications in the current TG ecosystem, and introduce how they introduced web2 users to web3 through cases.

NotCoin

NotCoin is a "click-click" game on the TG mini program. Its main operation is very simple: users only need to keep clicking on the screen when they have physical strength to get gold coins in the game. Based on the traditional GameFi's Play 2 Earn, NotCoin proposed the concept of Tap2Earn, where users can make money just by clicking on the screen. In addition, NotCoin also has functions such as skill improvement, task system, teamwork, points league, and inviting new users. From the official launch on January 1, 2024 to the launch of the token on Binance on May 16, NotCoin attracted more than 35 million players and more than 5 million daily active users.

As a simple TG applet game, NotCoin has greatly lowered the user threshold with the help of the huge TG user base and simple operation. At the same time, the fission mechanism in the game makes it spread very quickly. In terms of the token economic system, the project party only retains 5% of the tokens, and there is no VC reservation. Of the remaining 95%, 78% is distributed to all game users. This kind of community project without VC and the practice of allocating most tokens to community users is very politically correct in the current environment and is widely praised by community users. Finally, NotCoin was listed on Binance on May 16, with a peak market value of $2 billion.

NotCoin successfully attracted a large number of users and subtly transformed a large number of users into web3 users. The project party airdropped most of the tokens to the players. Under the premise of such a large number of players, this airdrop covered a large number of users. During the airdrop stage, users have two choices: transfer tokens to Binance or transfer to TG wallet. No matter which one the user chooses, it brings new players to the web3 world. Users who choose to transfer the airdrop to Binance may become virtual currency traders, while users who choose to transfer the airdrop to TG wallet become players on the Ton chain.

NotCoin's success depends not only on TG's multi-faceted support, but also on Binance's support. Binance has long been committed to introducing web2 users and injecting fresh blood into web3. Looking back at the controversial Binance LaunchPad projects EDU and HOOK in 2023, they are both non-web3 native projects, namely, asset tokenization education platforms and web3 learning platforms. Binance has already occupied a certain market share among web3 users, but in the face of high customer acquisition costs, it hopes to introduce more web2 users to web3, expand the entire market size, and contribute to its own user base. Therefore, Binance noticed NotCoin as early as the end of February and conducted joint activities with it. In the end, NotCoin successfully landed on Binance LaunchPool.

From Binance's perspective, TG users have a high overlap with web3 user portraits, and TG users are of high quality. Therefore, Binance chose to let NotCoin go online on its platform. NotCoin is a successful example. As a TG mini-game, it attracted tens of millions of users in just over four months, and converted these users into virtual currency traders or blockchain users through airdrops.

Catizen

Catizen comes from a team with extensive mini program experience, with more than 5 years of experience in the development and operation of WeChat mini program games and Facebook games. Compared with other games, this game is more mature in terms of gameplay. In the game, the player plays the role of the owner of a cat shop, and the cats will automatically receive customers to earn income. The income depends on the number and level of cats in the shop. Players can use gold coins to buy new cats, and get a higher level cat by combining two cats of the same level to earn higher revenue per second.

Catizen has gained more than 20 million users and 2.5 million daily active users (DAU) within three months of its launch, thanks to its cute style and addictive business game attributes. Through excellent in-game user gold guidance and potential airdrop expectations, Catizen has earned more than 12 million US dollars through TG in-app purchases. This achievement is very impressive, especially for traditional GameFi, which lacks external income and has a strong Ponzi attribute. Catizen has earned more than 10 million US dollars in revenue in three months, which has solved the problem of no external income to a certain extent.

Catizen not only attracted tens of millions of players, but also guided players to bind TG wallets and interact with on-chain contracts in the game. There are some options in the game where users can obtain in-game benefits through smart contract interactions. These interactions are conducted on the Ton chain and do not require payment, only gas fees. For example, the puppy that appears from time to time can give players 500% of the benefits for a period of time. If it is obtained for free, it is only 1 minute, while through contract interaction, it can be obtained for 4 minutes. Catizen's clever in-game incentive mechanism has enabled it to have more than one million on-chain users, who interact with smart contracts on Ton through Catizen. Catizen's guidance may be due to its investment in Ton. Catizen has achieved outstanding results in many aspects, not only attracting a large number of users, bringing high returns to the project party, making it possible for web3 games to make profits, but also guiding a large number of users to enter the Ton chain and become web3 players. In terms of airdrops, Catizen is not as generous to users as NotCoin. In the initial plan, 20% was allocated to the team and 8% to VC, and only 35% was allocated to users. However, it has since continuously increased the airdrop ratio to 43%.

Hamster Kombat

Hamster Kombat is similar to NotCoin, but it is by no means just a copycat. Compared with the simple gameplay and settings of NotCoin, Hamster Kombat is more complex in background settings and gameplay. The background setting of the game is that the player plays the boss of a virtual currency exchange and gains points by consuming energy and clicking on the screen. The game also adds business elements. Players can upgrade the exchange by consuming gold coins, such as upgrading employee levels, marketing, and compliance investments, so as to obtain more benefits.

This background setting allows players to experience the game from the perspective of the CEO of a virtual currency exchange, increasing their understanding and recognition of virtual currency. In addition, Hamster Kombat also combines the task system with the task of watching videos to divert traffic to its own YouTube channel. Players watch two videos every day, introducing blockchain knowledge and blockchain news respectively.

Hamster Kombat has performed very well. As of the end of June, the game has more than 200 million users. At the same time, its official YouTube channel has more than 30 million subscriptions, and the average number of video views exceeds 20 million. The game's airdrop mechanism requires users to first bind their TG wallets, a move that effectively guides users into the web3 world. From the perspective of a web3 guide, Hamster Kombat has succeeded in many ways. First, it has attracted a large number of users and enabled them to register and bind their TG wallets through the airdrop mechanism. Second, in terms of user education, the game uses a unique gameplay that allows players to play the role of the CEO of a virtual currency exchange, enhancing their understanding of virtual currency. Through daily video uploads and task systems, the game encourages players to learn web3 knowledge and pay attention to web3 news, so that they can accept these concepts subtly. Acceptance and learning are prerequisites for joining web3, and Hamster Kombat has successfully achieved this.

Conclusion and Outlook

Relying on TG's high-value web3 potential customers, the mini-programs that seamlessly connect payment and on-chain interaction, and convenient mobile semi-centralized applications, TG provides a new entrance to the web3 world. From the data, the popularity of TG's mini-programs has brought rapid user growth to Ton. Since the beginning of 2024, the number of active wallets has increased tenfold from one million to more than ten million in seven months. Similarly, this is also reflected in the transaction gas fee. The daily consumption of tons on the chain has increased from an average of 1,000 tons last year to tens of thousands of tons per day today.

Although the TG mini program has performed very well recently, it has brought a lot of fresh blood to the web3 world and attracted many users to be active on the Ton chain. But in the long run, the TG ecosystem is different from BTC, Ethereum, Solana, etc., which use blockchain technology to serve finance. The TG ecosystem is more like using technology to serve other fields. This is an exploration and attempt to use blockchain technology in more applications, but it is different from the current mainstream web3 dominated by finance.

This difference comes from several levels. The first is the difference in users. In the financial-based ecosystem, users are mainly investors, while in the TG ecosystem, most users are consumers. The number of investors is less than that of consumers, and the average consumption capacity of investors is higher. The second is the difference in applications. Mainstream chains such as ETH and Solana mainly develop applications around the financial level, including DeFi, Oracle, etc. Even GameFi and SocialFi focus on the financial level and eventually become a capital disk. The large size of these chains provides certain guarantees for financial security and liquidity. The hottest projects in the TG ecosystem are games, gambling, payment, etc., which rely more on the number of users and usage time.